CJ paced nervously across the living room, giving Simon a rather big dizzy
spell. "What are we going to do? I mean, Michael has always taken my
advice. Always." She stopped and looked at Simon with fear in her eyes.
He looked at her. "Well first of all, child abuse is very much against the law. I can easily have Kate arrested, but.
"But what?" She walked over to him.
"But it would most likely be taken to court and Hogan would have to testify."
She shook her head. "No. I don't want her have to do that. It'll be too traumatic on her. I mean hasn't she had enough trauma to last a lifetime?"
Just then, there was a knock at the door.
"I'll get it," Simon said. "You sit down and quit pacing. You're going to make me throw up with all that pacing."
She sighed and sat down on the sofa.
He went to the door and opened it, only to be very surprised at who was there. "Hogan?! What are you doing here?"
She didn't say anything. She just stood there as if her life had been sucked out of her.
"Hogan, what happened," Simon asked when he saw the bruise on her face.
No answer.
CJ stood up. "Hogan, honey what happened," she asked, rushing over to her niece. She then saw the bruise. "Oh my G-d. Did she do this to you?"
Hogan still didn't answer. She just stood there for a moment before looking CJ and Simon in the eyes and began to cry.
Simon put his hand on her back and led her into the apartment and sat her down and held her as if she was his daughter. "Shh, it's okay. You're safe."
CJ sat down on the other side of her and rubbed her back. "Sweetie, you know you're safe here, right?"
Hogan looked up at the two, still crying and slightly nodded.
"Can you tell us what happened," Simon asked.
She sniffled and tried to speak. "A-After you left. S-She came into my room and. and." She touched her face where Kate had slapped her.
"Oh dear Lord," CJ said quietly.
"I ran away," Hogan whispered hoarsely. "I don't want to go back."
"You know you can stay here as long as you need to," CJ said in a comforting manner. "You're always welcome here, but something has to be done. Have you told your father yet?"
"I didn't get a chance to. I left before he came upstairs. Besides, he wouldn't have cared anyway," she said, beginning to cry again.
"Hogan," Simon said as he looked at her, "You know that we have to tell him. She can't continue to do this to you. I don't want to scare you, but if she does this enough and with enough force, she could hurt you pretty badly. Even." He stopped himself before he upset her anymore.
"He's right," CJ said.
Before Hogan could protest, the telephone rang.
CJ walked over to the phone and answered it. "Hello?"
"Where is she, Claudia," Michael asked.
"Michael, I can assure that she is--"
"That is not what I asked! Is she with you? Is she?"
She took a deep breath before answering. "Yes, she is. And would you like to know why?" She said, her voice rising.
"Why's that? Because she thinks that you and '007' are her only comfort?"
"G-d damnit, Michael! Your wife has been abusing her! How can you be so blind as to not see that?"
He took a breath. "Claudia, why must you try to make Kate out to be the bad guy here? All she has done for Hogan is cared for her and make sure she is safe."
"Yeah, safely keeping the secret that she's hitting her!" CJ took a deep breath. "If you don't do anything about it right now, and I mean *now*, I am going to call the cops. Do you hear me, Michael?"
"Look, just because you never got married and had kids doesn't mean you can do whatever you want with mine! You had better bring her back right now." His voice began to rise with anger.
"Fine, have it your way," she said evenly. She hung up the phone and looked over at a terrified Hogan in Simon's arms.
"Aunt CJ, what are you going to do," she asked, quivering.
"Well first of all, I'm going to call the cops. Then I'm going to call Toby."
Simon gave her a look. "Why are you going to call Toby?"
"This is going to become a story, and I don't want it to."
He nodded. "I had better get some sort of background information on Kate. The court will want it. In the meantime, I think the safest thing to do is have Hogan stay here and get some sort of restraining order from Kate. and Michael."
"No! I love my dad. I don't want to see him get hurt!"
"He isn't going to get hurt, Hogan. Not physically anyway. The only person who is going to get hurt is Kate. I--we are going to make sure that she never lays another finger on you."
Hogan nodded slowly. "Okay."
CJ picked up the phone once more and called the police. After explaining to them what had been happening, she called Toby.
"She what?!" Was his response.
"Thank you for keeping cool," CJ said, aggravated.
"Well it's not everyday I get a call from someone saying that their niece has been abused by her mother."
"Step-mother," she corrected him.
"Whatever. Anyway, I'll make sure it doesn't become anything."
"Thank you, Toby," CJ said. "I have to go and get a few things from the house now. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Yeah...good luck."
"Yeah." She hung up the phone and looked over at the two.
"The police will be there when you get there," Simon said as he put his cell phone away, having made a few calls himself. I'm going to stay here, if that's okay." He looked at Hogan.
"Yes, it is. Thank you." She said quietly as she wiped her eyes again.
He then looked at CJ. "Okay with you?"
She nodded, "Yes. I can't tell you how much this means to me."
"Go," he said with a small smile. "We'll be just fine here."
"Okay." She walked over to Hogan and kissed her forehead. "It's going to be all right."
Hogan nodded.
CJ took a deep breath and stood up. "Well, here I go." She walked to the door and left the apartment, leaving Simon and Hogan.
"Is she going to be okay," Hogan asked.
"Yes," he said, reassuring her. "She'll be just fine." He paused. "And so will you." He remained by her side as if he was protecting her from a stalker.
CJ got out of her car and began to walk to the front door of the house when she saw the police. "Here we go," she said as she cautiously rang the doorbell.
TBC......
He looked at her. "Well first of all, child abuse is very much against the law. I can easily have Kate arrested, but.
"But what?" She walked over to him.
"But it would most likely be taken to court and Hogan would have to testify."
She shook her head. "No. I don't want her have to do that. It'll be too traumatic on her. I mean hasn't she had enough trauma to last a lifetime?"
Just then, there was a knock at the door.
"I'll get it," Simon said. "You sit down and quit pacing. You're going to make me throw up with all that pacing."
She sighed and sat down on the sofa.
He went to the door and opened it, only to be very surprised at who was there. "Hogan?! What are you doing here?"
She didn't say anything. She just stood there as if her life had been sucked out of her.
"Hogan, what happened," Simon asked when he saw the bruise on her face.
No answer.
CJ stood up. "Hogan, honey what happened," she asked, rushing over to her niece. She then saw the bruise. "Oh my G-d. Did she do this to you?"
Hogan still didn't answer. She just stood there for a moment before looking CJ and Simon in the eyes and began to cry.
Simon put his hand on her back and led her into the apartment and sat her down and held her as if she was his daughter. "Shh, it's okay. You're safe."
CJ sat down on the other side of her and rubbed her back. "Sweetie, you know you're safe here, right?"
Hogan looked up at the two, still crying and slightly nodded.
"Can you tell us what happened," Simon asked.
She sniffled and tried to speak. "A-After you left. S-She came into my room and. and." She touched her face where Kate had slapped her.
"Oh dear Lord," CJ said quietly.
"I ran away," Hogan whispered hoarsely. "I don't want to go back."
"You know you can stay here as long as you need to," CJ said in a comforting manner. "You're always welcome here, but something has to be done. Have you told your father yet?"
"I didn't get a chance to. I left before he came upstairs. Besides, he wouldn't have cared anyway," she said, beginning to cry again.
"Hogan," Simon said as he looked at her, "You know that we have to tell him. She can't continue to do this to you. I don't want to scare you, but if she does this enough and with enough force, she could hurt you pretty badly. Even." He stopped himself before he upset her anymore.
"He's right," CJ said.
Before Hogan could protest, the telephone rang.
CJ walked over to the phone and answered it. "Hello?"
"Where is she, Claudia," Michael asked.
"Michael, I can assure that she is--"
"That is not what I asked! Is she with you? Is she?"
She took a deep breath before answering. "Yes, she is. And would you like to know why?" She said, her voice rising.
"Why's that? Because she thinks that you and '007' are her only comfort?"
"G-d damnit, Michael! Your wife has been abusing her! How can you be so blind as to not see that?"
He took a breath. "Claudia, why must you try to make Kate out to be the bad guy here? All she has done for Hogan is cared for her and make sure she is safe."
"Yeah, safely keeping the secret that she's hitting her!" CJ took a deep breath. "If you don't do anything about it right now, and I mean *now*, I am going to call the cops. Do you hear me, Michael?"
"Look, just because you never got married and had kids doesn't mean you can do whatever you want with mine! You had better bring her back right now." His voice began to rise with anger.
"Fine, have it your way," she said evenly. She hung up the phone and looked over at a terrified Hogan in Simon's arms.
"Aunt CJ, what are you going to do," she asked, quivering.
"Well first of all, I'm going to call the cops. Then I'm going to call Toby."
Simon gave her a look. "Why are you going to call Toby?"
"This is going to become a story, and I don't want it to."
He nodded. "I had better get some sort of background information on Kate. The court will want it. In the meantime, I think the safest thing to do is have Hogan stay here and get some sort of restraining order from Kate. and Michael."
"No! I love my dad. I don't want to see him get hurt!"
"He isn't going to get hurt, Hogan. Not physically anyway. The only person who is going to get hurt is Kate. I--we are going to make sure that she never lays another finger on you."
Hogan nodded slowly. "Okay."
CJ picked up the phone once more and called the police. After explaining to them what had been happening, she called Toby.
"She what?!" Was his response.
"Thank you for keeping cool," CJ said, aggravated.
"Well it's not everyday I get a call from someone saying that their niece has been abused by her mother."
"Step-mother," she corrected him.
"Whatever. Anyway, I'll make sure it doesn't become anything."
"Thank you, Toby," CJ said. "I have to go and get a few things from the house now. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Yeah...good luck."
"Yeah." She hung up the phone and looked over at the two.
"The police will be there when you get there," Simon said as he put his cell phone away, having made a few calls himself. I'm going to stay here, if that's okay." He looked at Hogan.
"Yes, it is. Thank you." She said quietly as she wiped her eyes again.
He then looked at CJ. "Okay with you?"
She nodded, "Yes. I can't tell you how much this means to me."
"Go," he said with a small smile. "We'll be just fine here."
"Okay." She walked over to Hogan and kissed her forehead. "It's going to be all right."
Hogan nodded.
CJ took a deep breath and stood up. "Well, here I go." She walked to the door and left the apartment, leaving Simon and Hogan.
"Is she going to be okay," Hogan asked.
"Yes," he said, reassuring her. "She'll be just fine." He paused. "And so will you." He remained by her side as if he was protecting her from a stalker.
CJ got out of her car and began to walk to the front door of the house when she saw the police. "Here we go," she said as she cautiously rang the doorbell.
TBC......